EVANSVILLE — Against a backdrop of explosive nationwide growth in flu activity that area hospitals call still just “a steady increase” regionally, the hospitals are effecting immediate but temporary restrictions for visitors.
The news came Friday in an announcement by the Community Patient Safety Coalition of Southwest Indiana/Kentucky (CPSC), which includes Ascension St. Vincent Evansville and Deaconess Gateway and Midtown hospitals. It cited increases in flu and RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, a common and contagious virus primarily affecting the respiratory system. Influenza-like illness reported at area hospital emergency departments is on the rise, CPSC said.
The visitor restrictions are intended to contain the spread of illnesses and help protect hospital patients and staff, the announcement said. Special arrangements can be made with participating facilities to allow additional visitors or younger visitors based on such circumstances as births and end of life.
Among the restrictions:
In addition to Ascension St. Vincent Evansville and Deaconess Gateway and Midtown hospitals, Tri-State hospitals participating in the temporary visitor restrictions include:
So how bad is the increase locally?
The CPSC, comprised of clinical leaders from the hospitals, the Indiana Hospital Association and the Vanderburgh County Health Department, said that while the CDC has called the 2025-2026 flu season the most severe in 25 years, area hospitals are seeing “an uptick” in hospitalizations from RSV and COVID-19.
The newest influenza strain, Subclade K (or A(H3N2), J.2.4.1), is a mutation of influenza A. Though data has yet to show that this new strain, dubbed “super flu,” has an “increase in disease severity” compared to previous influenza A strains, the World Health Organization reports it is a notable evolution.
Dr. Roger Johnson, a pulmonary and critical care physician at Ascension St. Vincent Evansville, told the Courier & Press Friday that events can move in the wrong direction swiftly.
“We have not seen a lot of patients with Influenza A in our ICU yet, but that could change quickly,” Johnson said.
Johnson emphasized the value of “getting vaccinated and staying home if you are sick and wearing a mask if you have to go out., avoiding crowds.”
Vaccines may not prevent infection, CPSC said, but can help with symptom management.
Through a spokesman, Dr. Jacob Ernst, medical director for Ascension’s department of emergency medicine, said the hospital system has no data to share about a surge.
“Numbers are up, which isn’t out of the ordinary for this time of year,” Ascension stated. “But not a major jump compared to where they normally are this time of year.”
As of Monday, Deaconess Health System reported 14 flu hospitalizations each at its Midtown and Gateway hospitals and five at Deaconess Henderson Hospital.
With the caveat that reported numbers represent hospitalizations and are not representative of all positive cases, Deaconess gave the Courier & Press more detailed data on Friday:
“We won’t know larger data aka increase/decrease until Monday,” Deaconess reported by email. “And we still expect numbers to spike over the next few weeks.”
Deaconess included one more caveat below its numbers.
“There are many more patients admitted with pneumonia and other respiratory viruses that are not listed above,” the hospital system stated.
What to do? CPSC’s answers may sound familiar
The new temporary restrictions for hospital visitors are intended to help protect the most vulnerable patients from respiratory viruses, according to CPSC.
For Tri-State residents who navigated COVID-19 just a few years ago, CPSC’s advice will sound familiar — but, according to the hospitals, no less relevant and important today than it was at the height of the pandemic. It starts with getting tested upon the onset of symptoms.
“As with any time of the year, a visitor who is not feeling well should stay home,” the group stated. “Visitors should observe the standard practices of washing hands and covering coughs and sneezes when around others.”
Masks will be provided for guests by Tri-State hospitals participating in the temporary visitor restrictions.
“Vaccines are currently available for flu, RSV and COVID-19,” CPSC stated. “Individuals should talk with their medical provider about vaccines, and which ones are recommended for them based on age and other factors.”
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: ‘Steady increase’ in flu and RSV bring hospital visitor restrictions
Reporting by Thomas B. Langhorne, Evansville Courier & Press / Evansville Courier & Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
